Cordless dictating machine



Nov. 16, 1965 M. H. BEST CORDLESS DIGTATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 9, 1962 RT O V my 2 M m Nov. 16, 1965 M. H. BEST CORDLESSDICTATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 9, 1962 l B 45 5/ 46INVENTOR. M62 mm 5557 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 N m mm N w I v Wm i @ii fl mm mwm k RN V \m QM mm v a Mm -W W Gm Nov. 16, 1965 M. H. BEST CORDLESSDICTATING MACHINE Filed April 9, 1962 United States Patent Ofi ice3,213,686 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 3,218,080 CORDLESS DHJTATIN G MACHINEMelvin H. Best, 262 S. Greenwood Ave, Pasadena, Calif. Filed Apr. 9,1962, Ser. No. 186,099 3 Claims. (Cl. 274-17) This invention is animproved portable dictating machine which is cordless, that is, themachine is completely self-contained and in effect may be said to be amicrophone with the dictating and playback machine built into it.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine having thecharacterisitcs set forth in the foregoing. It is extremely compact andportable and may be carried in a persons pocket and used anywhere.

Another object is to provide a machine as in the foregoing which issound powered, not requiring batteries or electronic or electricalcircuitry or switches.

Another object is to provide a machine as in the foregoing havingimproved and extremely effective power drive means in the form of aspring motor of the type known as a Negator motor.

Another object is to provide a machine as described having extremelysimplified, effective, dependable and economical control and operatingmechanisms.

Further objects and additional advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description and annexed drawingswherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 7-7 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is a view showing the housing and cover therefor in openposition;

FIGURE 9 is a detail view showing the holding means for the cover;

FIGURE 10 is a detail view of the motor and clutch therefor;

FIGURE 11 is a partial view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, in a preferred form of theinvention the dictating machine is in the form of a small compact onepiece instrument which can be carried in a persons pocket. Theinstrument is entirely self-contained there being no attaching cords orwires and in efiect it is a microphone with the dictating machine andplayback mechanism built into it. In a preferred form, it comprises ahousing as shown at 10 preferably having a configuration as shown in thefigures. The housing has a lower half 11 and an upper half 13 hingedtogether by piano hinge 15. The cover may be latched in closed positionby a manual latch 17 as shown in FIG- URE 2 which operates a latchingbar 18 cooperable with pins 19 and 20 as shown in FIGURE 9.

The principal components of the device are the microphone-speakerembodied in the housing 10; the motor drive means, the belt, the recordand pickup head and the transistorized amplifier circuit which is usedin the preferred embodiment. The belt may be magnetic.

The recording medium is preferably in the form of the endless belt asdesignated at 24 which passes over rollers 25 and 26 suitably journalledon shafts 27 and 28 supported by pedestal bearing means in the ends ofthe housing 10. Numerals 31 and 32 designate transverse presser bars inthe cover 13 which depress and tension the belt 24 when the cover isclosed. Numeral 35 designates a support plate Within the housingpositioned to provide support underneath the upper run of the belt 24 atthe position of the record and playback head as will be described.FIGURE 8 shows the device with the cover 13 open.

Preferably the motor drive unit is a Negator spring motor which is aknown type of commercial device. This type of motor uses an elongatedstressed spring strip of a type which is normally rolled up and ifunrolled it will seek to roll up and it will exert a pull on theextended part of the spring which pull is constant, that is, thisparticular spring motor exerts a constant driving or pulling force. Sucha spring is designated at numeral 37 and it may be rolled on a spool 38having a center part or shaft 39, this spool being suitably journalledor mounted in the housing 10. Numeral 42 designates a second largerspool having a shaft 43 suitably mounted in the housing and the spring37 may be wound on the spool 42. Spool 42 is attached to and drives agear 45 which meshes wit-h a gear 46 of a suitable gear transmissioncomponent 47 which also drives a governor 48 which may be of standardconstruction to regulate and make uniform the speed of operation. Thetransmission drives an output gear 50 meshing with a gear 51 on theshaft of the spool 25 for driving the endless belt during operation. Thetransmission also drives a shaft 54 having a bevel gear 55 on its endmeshing with a bevel gear 56 on a lead screw 57 which drives the recordand playback head as will be described.

The machine is controlled by a finger panel 60 on the side of themachine which controls a switch 61 for the transistorized amplifier aswill be described and also controls the operation of the Negator motor.Preferably this control of the motor by member 61 is simply by way of aprojection or finger actuated by it engageable with one of the gears ofone of the gear trains described above. In other words, this is simply amechanical latch or latch finger which either stops or allows a gear torotate. This feature is not shown in detail on the drawings for reasonsof simplification. Hunter Spring Co. makes the said motor.

Numeral 64 designates a Winding handle for the motor. This handle has ayoke formed on the end pivoted to a stem 65 which extends out from thetop of the housing 10 and from the lower part of which extends the stemor shaft 43. The gear 45 and spool 42 having a hub 67, as shown inFIGURE 10. Numeral 68 designates a clutch plate having radial ribs asshown at 70 in FIGURE 7 which may clutch and declutch with respect tosimilar ribs on the spool 42 adjacent to the hub 67 as may be seen inFIGURE 10. Within the hub 67 is a coil spring 72 around the stem 43 andacting against the clutch plate 68 normally urging it outwardly.

The handle 64 has pivoted a folding grip 75 at its end so that thehandle can be folded down into the position shown in FIGURE 1. When thehandle is lifted, as shown in FIGURE 10, the clutch plate 68 comes intoengagement with the clutch members on spool 42 and the motor can then bewound up by the handle. The end of the handle 64 releases stem 65 toallow spring 73 to engage the clutch. When handle 64 is released andfolded down the clutch disengages and the motor is then operable todrive the machine.

Numeral 76 designates a ribbed manual sliding button on the top of themachine which is provided to actuate a switch from talk to listen aswill be described.

Numeral 77 designates generally the 'microphonespeaker which is of atype embodying a cone as designated at 78 positioned adjacent to soundopenings in the form of slots as designated at 8t? in the top of theunit. In the form of the invention being described, themicrophone-speaker cooperates with a record and magnetic playback headdesignated generally by the numeral 31. This head comprises a member 82mounted on an arm 83 pivoted on a transverse shaft 34. The arm 83 has afinger piece 86 which extends upwardly through an opening in the top ofthe cover as designated at 87 and is mounted to slide transversely withrespect to a graduated scale 88. The finger piece 86 includes a ribbedpart 90 having an indicating pointer 91 which moves opposite the scale88 to indicate the position of the record-playback head.

Numeral 93 designates a leaf spring positioned in a slot transverselyalong the shaft 84 and engageable with the arm 83 to normally bias thearm into engagement with the transverse lead screw 57. The arm 83 has anintermediate serni-cylindrical threaded part 89 which can engage thelower half of the lead screw 57 so that the lead screw can drive therecord-playback head transversely. The finger piece 9% may be pusheddown slightly to disengage its threaded intermediate part from the leadscrew 57 allowing the record-playback head to be manually adjusted toany position with respect to the scale 88. When piece 99 is pushed downspring 93 flexes.

In the form of the invention shown, in FIGURE 2 a transistorizedamplifier is provided in combination with the record-playback head andthe microphone speaker. This is a standard amplifier circuit includingpreferably a mercury battery 97, transistors 98, 99 and ltltl, capacitorlltll and a control means 102 actuated as described by the finger panel60. This circuit is diagrammatically shown since any suitable standardcommercial amplifier circuit may be utilized. Suitable electricalconnections are made, as shown, from the record and pickup head to theamplifier circuit and the microphone-loudspeaker, these connectionsbeing made in accordance with standard practice in the art. Theprincipal novelty of the invention herein lies in the concept of a onepiece dictating machine, that is, a machine with everything built into asingle compact unit without cords or wires on the exterior thereof.Features of the invention which are not shown in exact detail arefeatures which may be adapted in accordance with known practices in theart. With respect, however, to the control of the driving motor from thefinger panel 60, this may, for example, be by way of a rod 105 extendingfrom the panel 64) and switch housing 61 transversely to thetransmission housing 47 so as to be engageable and disengageable from agear therein to control the movement.

In another form of the invention, the battery and amplifier circuit maybe dispensed with entirely. This is a sound powered type of unit whichmay be made even smaller and more compact by reason of having no batteryor electronic components. Such a machine is shown in FIGURE 11 andoperates on a principle which in itself is not new, the principle beinga known one which has previously been utilized in dictating machines andis the same principle that is utilized in sound powered telephones. Inthis machine, the sound itself acts on the diaphragm of the speakermechanism to impart vibrations to a material embodied therein so as togenerate electrical currents sufiicient to actuate the device. On theone hand when dictating the sound actuates the microphone unit togenerate sutficient current to drive the recording head, that is, torecord, and in the listening operation the pickup head acts directly onthe microphone unit to reproduce the recorded sound. The materialreferred to is of a known type which when subjected to sound vibrationsor pressures, generates a corresponding electrical current which isconducted to the recording head for recording. For reproducing, suchmaterial is mounted in the recording head and the electrical output isconducted to the speaker-microphone, the electrical signals acting onthe material in it to convert them to vibrations which reproduce thesound in the microphone.

The principles of this invention may be embodied in machines adapted formagnetic recording with amplification; in sound powered magneticrecording; in machines adapted for grooved belt recording withamplification and sound powered and in other types of machines.

The machine is adapted for bracket mounting on a desk and may becombined with other components known in the art.

From the foregoing those skilled in the art will observe that theinvention fulfills and realizes all of the objects as stated in theforegoing and has the advantages enumerated as well as many additionalmore detailed advantages that are obvious from the foregoingspecification. There is provided a dictating machine which fulfills agreat and growing need for a small compact unit that can be carried inthe pocket and is not encumbered with cords or wires. It is in effect amicrophone with the dictating and recording means built into it. Asdescribed in the foregoing, certain forms of the invention may dispenseentirely with batteries and electronic circuitry thereby furthercontributing to their adaptability and versatility.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of preferred forms of theinvention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than alimiting sense, the scope of the invention to be in accordance with theclaims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A dictating and recording machine comprising: a relatively smallcompact housing of a size capable of be ing carried in a pocket; amovable endless belt type record member, means movably mounting saidrecord member for movement in said housing; a manually wound springmotor mounted in said housing and drivingly connected to said mountingmeans for driving said record member to move the same; amicrophone-loudspeaker mounted in said housing; guide means mounted insaid housing adjacent said record member; a recording and playback headmounted on said guide means in said housing adjacent said record memberand in engagement with the same to record sound thereon and to play backsound recorded thereon; said microphone-loudspeaker and said recordingand playback head each being an electrical transducer; and electricalcircuit means connecting said transducers.

2. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said microphone-loudspeakerand said recording and playback head are sound-powered type transducers.

3. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said motor is a Negatorspring motor.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,523,340 9/1950Bonsall 274-2 2,654,609 10/1953 Shepherd 27411 2,689,736 9/1954 Siegel274-19 2,899,506 8/1959 Wehmer 27411 X 2,951,127 8/1960 Pierson et a127417 X 2,967,715 1/1961 Black et a1. 274-9 3,016,244 1/1962 Schuh et a1274-4 3,018,111 1/1962 Balmer et a1. 2749 LOUIS l. CAPOZI, PrimaryExaminer.

C. W. ROBINSON, Examiner.

1. A DICTATING AND RECORDING MACHINE COMPRISING: A RELATIVELY SMALLCOMPACT HOUSING OF A SIZE CAPABLE OF BEING CARRIED IN A POCKET; AMOVABLE ENDLESS BELT TYPE RECORD MEMBER, MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTING SAIDRECORD MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT IN SAID HOUSING; A MANUALLY WOUND SPRINGMOTOR MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSINGMEANS FOR DRIVING SAID RECORD MEMBER TO MOVE THE SAME; AMICROPHONE-LOUDSPEAKER MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING; GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED INSAID HOUSING ADJACENT SAID RECORD MEMBER; A RECORDING AND PLAYBACK HEADMOUNTED ON SAID GUIDE MEANS IN SAID HOUSING ADJACENT SAID RECORD MEMBERAND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAME TO RECORD SOUND THEREON AND TO PLAY BACKSOUND RECORDED THEREON; SAID MICROPHONE-LOUDSPEAKER AND SAID RECORDINGAND PLAYBACK HEAD EACH BEING AN ELECTRICAL TRANSDUCER; AND ELECTRICALCIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTING SAID TRANSDUCERS.